/Justices found the proposal misleading, but one of the justices disagreed.TALLAHASSEE — A proposal to ban assault weapons in Florida was rejected by the state Supreme Court on Thursday, with a majority of justices ruling that the proposal was misleading.The proposal, spun out of the 2018 Parkland massacre, would have changed Florida’s Constitution to make it illegal for people to buy assault weapons or transfer those weapons to others.In finding the proposal was misleading, a majority of justices took a narrow approach, honing in on just a few words at the end of .Page 1 ofContributed...…/Justices found the proposal misleading, but one of the justices disagreed.TALLAHASSEE — A proposal to ban assault weapons in Florida was rejected by the state Supreme Court on Thursday, with a majority of justices ruling that the proposal was misleading.The proposal, spun out of the 2018 Parkland massacre, would have changed Florida’s Constitution to make it illegal for people to buy assault weapons or transfer those weapons to others.In finding the proposal was misleading, a majority of justices took a narrow approach, honing in on just a few words at the end of .Page 1 ofContributed...WW…

/“We hardly ever talk about victims any more in this country," he said.TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis defended his decision to appeal , saying that felons should be required to pay back all restitution to victims before voting, even if they can’t afford to do so.“If somebody gets robbed, they have a right to have restitution paid to them,” he said during a Friday news conference in Miami. “We hardly ever talk about victims any more in this country. There are people that are victimized by violent crimes in particular who I think we need to be standing up for.”Amendment 4, passed by voters...…/“We hardly ever talk about victims any more in this country," he said.TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis defended his decision to appeal , saying that felons should be required to pay back all restitution to victims before voting, even if they can’t afford to do so.“If somebody gets robbed, they have a right to have restitution paid to them,” he said during a Friday news conference in Miami. “We hardly ever talk about victims any more in this country. There are people that are victimized by violent crimes in particular who I think we need to be standing up for.”Amendment 4, passed by voters...WW…

/U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle ruled against a Florida law limiting the scope of Amendment 4, a 2018 ballot measure allowing most felons to vote. He called the law, which he mostly struck down, a “pay-to-vote system”TALLAHASSEE — A federal judge ruled Sunday that it is unconstitutional to prevent felons in Florida from voting because they can’t afford to pay back court fees, fines and restitution to victims, striking down parts of a law passed by Republican lawmakers and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis last year.Calling the law a “pay-to-vote system,” U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle’s...…/U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle ruled against a Florida law limiting the scope of Amendment 4, a 2018 ballot measure allowing most felons to vote. He called the law, which he mostly struck down, a “pay-to-vote system”TALLAHASSEE — A federal judge ruled Sunday that it is unconstitutional to prevent felons in Florida from voting because they can’t afford to pay back court fees, fines and restitution to victims, striking down parts of a law passed by Republican lawmakers and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis last year.Calling the law a “pay-to-vote system,” U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle’s...WW…

/The forceful defense of how his administration has handled the pandemic came on the same day that Florida reported 2,783 new coronavirus cases, more than it has ever recorded in a single day. TALLAHASSEE — As the number of Florida coronavirus cases continue to climb and after his own administration announced that those who work at elder care facilities must now be tested, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday he’s not considering another shutdown.“We’re not rolling back,” DeSantis said during a news conference when asked whether he would consider stopping some reopening efforts. “The reason we...…/The forceful defense of how his administration has handled the pandemic came on the same day that Florida reported 2,783 new coronavirus cases, more than it has ever recorded in a single day. TALLAHASSEE — As the number of Florida coronavirus cases continue to climb and after his own administration announced that those who work at elder care facilities must now be tested, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday he’s not considering another shutdown.“We’re not rolling back,” DeSantis said during a news conference when asked whether he would consider stopping some reopening efforts. “The reason we...WW…

/Gov. Ron DeSantis dismissed the request as partisan.Two top-ranking Democrats in the U.S. Senate are asking the U.S. Department of Labor to investigate Florida’s failure to process and pay out unemployment claims.In a letter to the department’s inspector general sent Monday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, wrote that Florida’s failures stand out even among other states that have struggled to pay their out-of-work residents.“While all states have seen record increases in the number of its...…/Gov. Ron DeSantis dismissed the request as partisan.Two top-ranking Democrats in the U.S. Senate are asking the U.S. Department of Labor to investigate Florida’s failure to process and pay out unemployment claims.In a letter to the department’s inspector general sent Monday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, wrote that Florida’s failures stand out even among other states that have struggled to pay their out-of-work residents.“While all states have seen record increases in the number of its...WW…

/The bill had surprisingly bipartisan support this session, months before protests over police abuses gripped the nation.TALLAHASSEE — In 2013, Dontrell Stephens was riding his bike down a West Palm Beach neighborhood when a sheriff’s deputy pulled up behind him.Seven seconds later, Stephens was shot four times and paralyzed from the waist down. Deputy Adams Lin said Stephens refused commands to raise his arms, prompting him to shoot. Stephens, 20, was unarmed.On Tuesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed off on Stephens’ $6 million settlement with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, just a day...…/The bill had surprisingly bipartisan support this session, months before protests over police abuses gripped the nation.TALLAHASSEE — In 2013, Dontrell Stephens was riding his bike down a West Palm Beach neighborhood when a sheriff’s deputy pulled up behind him.Seven seconds later, Stephens was shot four times and paralyzed from the waist down. Deputy Adams Lin said Stephens refused commands to raise his arms, prompting him to shoot. Stephens, 20, was unarmed.On Tuesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed off on Stephens’ $6 million settlement with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, just a day...WW…

/Scott objects to jobless workers making more in benefits than from salaries. In Florida, that’s a mostly moot point considering that most claimants can’t get any benefits at all. TALLAHASSEE — Sen. Rick Scott wrote in a campaign fundraising email sent Thursday night that Americans thrown out of work because of the coronavirus pandemic would rather collect unemployment than go back to work.“Businesses looking to reopen are telling us their employees don’t want to come back to work because they collect more on unemployment,” Scott‘s email said. “And who can blame them?”In the email, Scott...…/Scott objects to jobless workers making more in benefits than from salaries. In Florida, that’s a mostly moot point considering that most claimants can’t get any benefits at all. TALLAHASSEE — Sen. Rick Scott wrote in a campaign fundraising email sent Thursday night that Americans thrown out of work because of the coronavirus pandemic would rather collect unemployment than go back to work.“Businesses looking to reopen are telling us their employees don’t want to come back to work because they collect more on unemployment,” Scott‘s email said. “And who can blame them?”In the email, Scott...WW…

/He said “99.99 percent” of people who have successfully applied for unemployment in March and mid-April have been paid.TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis said some Floridians waiting on unemployment checks have themselves to blame for not filling out their applications properly.During an exchange with a reporter during a Friday news conference in Jacksonville, DeSantis expressed frustration with news stories that quote Floridians who have been unable to receive either state or federal benefits.The governor said that for people who applied in March or early April, Florida’s Department of...…/He said “99.99 percent” of people who have successfully applied for unemployment in March and mid-April have been paid.TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis said some Floridians waiting on unemployment checks have themselves to blame for not filling out their applications properly.During an exchange with a reporter during a Friday news conference in Jacksonville, DeSantis expressed frustration with news stories that quote Floridians who have been unable to receive either state or federal benefits.The governor said that for people who applied in March or early April, Florida’s Department of...WW…

/He said “99.99 percent” of people who have successfully applied for unemployment in March and mid-April have been paid.TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis said some Floridians waiting on unemployment checks have themselves to blame for not filling out their applications properly.During an exchange with a reporter during a Friday news conference in Jacksonville, DeSantis expressed frustration with news stories that quote Floridians who have been unable to receive either state or federal benefits.The governor said that for people who applied in March or early April, Florida’s Department of...…/He said “99.99 percent” of people who have successfully applied for unemployment in March and mid-April have been paid.TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis said some Floridians waiting on unemployment checks have themselves to blame for not filling out their applications properly.During an exchange with a reporter during a Friday news conference in Jacksonville, DeSantis expressed frustration with news stories that quote Floridians who have been unable to receive either state or federal benefits.The governor said that for people who applied in March or early April, Florida’s Department of...WW…

/The budget DeSantis signed is based on revenue projections state economists made before the coronavirus hit. In other words, it's unlikely there's enough money to pay for it.TALLAHASSEE — On Monday, Gov. Ron DeSantis used his veto pen to wipe away.Gone are hundreds of , $135 million in education spending and other items, thanks to COVID-19 grinding the state economy to a halt.Left are some of the governor’s top priorities — and a politically convenient budget that could spare Republicans from making unpopular decisions over the next six months.Here are four takeaways from Florida’s...…/The budget DeSantis signed is based on revenue projections state economists made before the coronavirus hit. In other words, it's unlikely there's enough money to pay for it.TALLAHASSEE — On Monday, Gov. Ron DeSantis used his veto pen to wipe away.Gone are hundreds of , $135 million in education spending and other items, thanks to COVID-19 grinding the state economy to a halt.Left are some of the governor’s top priorities — and a politically convenient budget that could spare Republicans from making unpopular decisions over the next six months.Here are four takeaways from Florida’s...WW…